Hydrocarbon based fuels are most commonly used fuels to drive automotive engines. However with the rising price of hydrocarbon based fuels and environmental concerns associated therewith, use of several alternative fuels such as bio-fuels, solar and electric energy has emerged in the art for powering the automotive engines. Amongst such alternative fuels the electric energy is a preferred alternate source since it is readily available and most cost effective. Electric vehicles generally use lead-acid, Nickel metal hydride, molten salt and lithium ion batteries for propulsion.
The batteries of the electric vehicle must be periodically recharged. Most electric vehicle owners recharge the batteries at home, since it is convenient and there are fewer public facilities available. However with an electric vehicle, it is possible that the battery may exhaust in a place where there is no access to a suitable power source that can charge the battery. This is analogous to “running out of gas” in a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle. The problem of exhausting a battery in an electric vehicle before it can be recharged remains active in the mind of driver and is referred to as “range anxiety”. Such a problem perceived by the driver is resultant of two factors: firstly, today there is a limited range of electric vehicles compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and secondly, limited charging infrastructure available for electric vehicles.
In such circumstances there are always possibilities that the vehicle is immobilized because of depletion of electric charge and cannot move using its own power. One of the options for driver in such circumstances is to arrange for vehicle to be towed so that it can be shifted to suitable charging source. Another alternative is to bring a source of electric power to immobilized vehicle so as to feed electric charge to the battery. Both alternatives are inconvenient methods for re-charging the depleted battery especially in the cases when battery is depleted on a highway or in remote locations.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a system and method that enables the charging of a depleted battery of an electric vehicle in a convenient manner.